


Stigma

by Keareid



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, buckle in this is going to be a sad one, dream cant sleep, geroge is an artist because yes, right person wrong time?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28818387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keareid/pseuds/Keareid
Summary: Dream suffers from insomnia and gets a job at a local art museum, George is an artist that suffers from night terrors. They meet again one night but something in their relationship changes, maybe they want to see each other more than just in the dark. Can they help each other get through the night, or will Dream just become another one of George’s nightmares?
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Dnf - Relationship, dreamnotfound - Relationship
Comments: 35
Kudos: 22





	1. If All Our Life Is But A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I just like writing for fun and I want to improve so yeah!! Please let me know what you think I will try to update a lot if schoolwork isn't too bad , thank you!

Dream-

Dream knew he was good at the things he could help, maybe it was the caffeine addiction or his ADHD but whatever he wanted to do he did it with all of the energy in his body. The only problem was the energy he used to be so full of was running out like the empty can on Monster sat on his desk. He thought it was funny that his friends called him Dream, the one thing he wanted to do so bad. 

“Fuck this.” It was a vicious cycle of frustration that he went through every night, he almost wondered if living like this was worth it, not being able to do something as simple as sleeping. The exhaustion he felt aching in every muscle, his eyelids feeling heavier than the stress on his shoulders from slouching at the computer all day typing code. He moved his arm away from where it was positioned with his head leaning against his hand. His elbow was bruised from being pressed against the desk supporting his tired head for so long but he didn’t care. 

Dream gave an irritable look to the clock that showed at the bottom of his monitor, it read 3:42 a.m. He had at least another few hours before he would collapse from his body forcing his mind to sleep. The thing about insomnia that drove him especially crazy was that he did sleep some, but it was never enough. 

He got up from his desk wearily pushing away trash that swamped the floors before slipping on his Adidas slides and stepped outside. The Florida air was nice to him when he needed it to be, most people don’t take walks at almost 4 in the morning but Dream wasn’t most people, he felt like he wasn't a person at all. There was always something refreshing to him about the way the breeze brushed against him, he felt the hair on his arm stick up-he liked it. He wished he had someone to walk next to, maybe not even to talk, just to know that they are seeing the same thing as him at the same time. Something that he could share with someone. 

Getting lost in his own thoughts is something he’s gotten used to, being awake and bored always leads to your thoughts being the only source of entertainment. You have to learn to control them before they drive you crazy too. There were times in the beginning where Dream wished his ADHD would take a break, his brain moving a million miles per hours and his body wasn’t able to process-maybe that’s why the insomnia developed, to catch up.

These walks were nightly things he did so Dream knew when it was time to head back without even checking his phone, every step he could hear his feet dragging against the pavement. He knew that something in his life needed to change, he was still young and didn’t have a job. He coded on the side for some money but it wasn’t much, if he is not going to sleep he might as well work. His thoughts were getting cloudy and before he knew it he was back at the front door of his apartment, drained and empty he fell onto his bed. The last thing he saw before his eyes fluttered shut was the sun peaking over the hills, the clock reading 7:09 a.m. 

George- 

George never categorized himself as someone who was scared of a lot, yeah he would exaggerate for comedy when he was with people for the laughs but when it came down to genuine fear there were few things that made his heart stop. That was until a few months ago when his night terrors started again. He had them before when he was young and he didn’t know why they came back but they were ruining his life.

He used to be someone to get in relationships frequently before they came back, now he is scared to let even close friends spend the night in case they might hear the screams. Not only did the visions terrorize him but the isolation did as well. George was social to a certain extent, he liked making people laugh but didn’t generally go all out of his way to hang out with others. That’s where he went wrong, he never made a best friend he could talk to about things he was experiencing or hold him at night- it was lonely. 

There were nights where he didn’t sleep purely out of fear, he stayed hunched over a canvas or sketch book expressing his feelings on a blank page that only he could control. George knew even if he did fall asleep he would be up in a few hours crying and screaming. 

Tonight was another night like many others where he held a pencil tight in his hand and scribbled over the smooth pages of his sketchbook. He liked showing his art to others but there was some art that he kept to himself, usually they were the ones he made on nights like these. The drawings were dark, filled with heavy shadows and things that didn’t look human but you could tell were alive. He didn’t show them in case people thought he was insane. Drawing was a blessing and a curse for him, when he put it on paper it made the terrors seem more real but it was the only way he knew to express himself. 

George always felt a little bit drunk when he was super tired, the other day he accidentally submitted his portfolio to a local art museum, like they would accept his work. He found himself continuously checking his email for a response anyways, maybe a part of him needed to feel wanted even if it was just to show off his art.

The bleary feeling in his eyes was starting to conquer his mind and he quickly closed the sketchbook and fell back onto his bed, phone in hand. He was scared but too tired to care anymore. He felt his body go limp as he fell asleep, the phone that he was gripping onto slowly fell next to him on the soft blanket. George was too far gone to realize his phone had been refreshed with a new email. 

“Congratulations!! Your work has been accepted to be displayed at the new showcase we are creating, please contact us before 4:00 tomorrow! Thank you!!” 

Dream-

Dream’s eyes fluttered open but this morning felt different, he rubbed his eyes and looked down seeing he had fallen asleep on top of his covers still wearing his clothes from yesterday. The clock read 9:30 a.m. Dream never disliked mornings but there was always something that made him feel disconnected from them, it could be that most people are waking up energized or the fact he knew he had 20 hours left until he next felt the sweet release of sleep. 

Today Dream wanted to be productive though so he didn’t ponder too much on the specific qualities of morning that made him bitter, instead he made a pot of coffee and changed into a matching pair of black jeans and a sweater. 

Today he was going to get a job, it didn’t matter if it was night shift or morning shift since he most likely would be awake anyways. He wondered what he would be drawn to, he liked things like computers, math, gaming, but that’s all he really ever did. He wanted something new, something he could master that would be a challenge. 

He poured himself a rather large cup of coffee and sat himself back at the bright monitor and scrolled at jobs in his area, most of them requiring degrees that he didn’t have or working in fast food which made him feel nauseous. There was one job he stumbled upon that looked interesting however. It was a job at an art museum, he would be a security/keeping records. He would be working at night which he preferred so he could walk home and hopefully be tired enough to sleep. He also wouldn’t have to deal with too many people. 

He never did art himself but always found it fascinating the way artists were able to capture things and draw them. It was a talent he wished he acquired since words were something he wasn’t good at expressing himself with either. With that Dream hovered his cursor over the apply button for a few more minutes for taking a deep breath and then lightly clicking. He wanted to feel proud but he couldn’t quite shake the nervous feeling that he felt. 

Dream spent the next few hours pacing around his room trying to clean, if he was getting a job he couldn’t live in a dump anymore, the more the cleaned the more he wondered how he got to this point. Cans overflowed every trash can and clothes were piled up higher than his laundry basket. The only clean area was the kitchen because he barely used it. Just as Dream was about to start cleaning out his closet he heard the soft bing from his computer, he rushed over and slid into his gaming chair refreshing his email tab more than once from nervousness. 

“Dear Clay, we read your application and was hoping you could meet at the museum at 4:00 to discuss pay and hours if you’re still considering the job! Thank you!” Dream smiled for the first time in a while, it felt good. 

George-

George was delighted when he woke up, he didn’t wake up any time throughout the night. He loved the feeling of peace that he didn’t get very often. He grabbed the phone that was next to him and unlocked it, the first thing to pop up was the email from the museum. George shot up out of bed, he is supposed to be there in 30 minutes if they are going to accept his work to be showcased. He quickly got up and threw on a bright red hoodie and black jeans. There was not enough time to eat as he had to run there, his portfolio was not heavy so it was easy to tuck beneath his arms as he jolted out the door. 

George was not a runner, it was only about a 15 minute run but George felt his sides were going to cramp up but he kept pushing. He didn’t want to make a bad first impression but already cringed at the fact he would be sweating. He didn’t pay attention to the fact that when he swung the door of the place open there would be a man standing there. “Oh shit!” George ran straight into the man before he could stop, his portfolio fell to the sides and exposed some of the papers that were in there all over the ground. “Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn’t mean to do that.” George looked up at the man, he was taller than George by a bit and his eyes were wide. “It’s alright.” The mans face relaxed and let out a low chuckle before crouching down to help pick up the fallen pages. “I got this, it's okay.” George scrambled to get the pictures up as soon as possible and looked up at the clock, he was 5 minutes early. 

He looked up to see the man holding a page “Monsters huh?” George reached and took the paper sheepishly “Uh yeah sort of, sorry again.” He stood up and the man followed too. “My name's Dream.” He held out his hand for George to shake. “George.” George gave him a small smile and then went back to organizing himself before being called to the office to talk about his portfolio to the boss. 

He felt Dreams gaze on his back as he walked away, he hated the fact it made him smile.


	2. Young Lovers In The Hayloft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy double update because like them i do not sleep, everyone should go watch Georges stream tonight and Quackitys!

Dream-

Dream gaze shifts from the smaller boy to another man that had walked up to him. 

“Are you Clay?” The man gave him a grin and pulled a clipboard that was being held loosely at his side in front of him. Dream reached his hand out to shake the mans “Yes that’s me, i’m here for the interview.” Dream was charismatic, it was a charm of being a Leo that he took pride in. The man led Dream to a room where he asked him a few basic questions concerning what he would be doing and if night hours were something he would be okay with, Dream obviously agreed. 

Dream flashed the man one more smile before being led from the room back into the main lobby, he couldn’t help but wonder whether George was getting a job here as well. A little part of him wanted to see the man again to talk to him more. Their conversation was short and mostly consistent with the other apologizing but it was something new. 

Dream didn’t bother rushing out of the museum, there was nowhere he had to be. The building was beautiful, the walls were white but the paintings that lined almost every open space and flushed against the bare colored walls. He enjoyed walking around, finding some intricate work more interesting than the modern ones. The place was like a maze, each section dedicated to a different artist. Near the back he could faintly see someone putting up new work so he walked that way to see. 

The man was struggling putting the paintings on the higher slots where they needed to be so Dream did what most people would do “Do you need any help?” His voice was soft and he leaned against the wall. 

George sighed and looked to his left to see Dream, the guy from earlier looking back down at him. “No I can reach it jus-”.

Before George could finish his sentence Dream was already looping the painting on the hooks. “It’s alright it’s no problem, you’re new here?” Dream took the next piece and continued placing them gently on the wall. “Yeah they are showcasing my art and in return I help keep records.” He watched Dream and leaned against the wall, a little aggravated with himself for getting this man’s help twice in the past hour. 

Dream leaned back down and put his hand on the back of his neck. “Oh me too, well not the art part I just keep records.” He looked up at the portraits on the wall “I like your paintings by the way, they're weirdly comforting.” 

George let out a laugh this time, Dream liked the sound. “You think these are comforting?” George glanced back up at his work, some were portraits that represented him being tired, others were of his terrors, none even he found to be comforting. 

“Oddly yeah I do, maybe I’ll have to buy one.” He glanced at George who had a proud look on his face. 

“You couldn’t afford it, my work is priceless.” His tone was laced with sarcasm but he felt pleased that his work was being praised, his family was never excited by the idea of their son being an artist so every compliment meant everything to him. 

“Alright now don’t get too ahead of yourself.” Dream was now completely facing George, he didn’t want to end the conversation yet but he didn’t want to scare him away. George looked back at him and he was noticing things he didn’t see before. George had dark bags under his eyes, not that he was judging since his were very much noticeable as well. Even with that the first thing that came to mind when he looked at George was pretty.  
George-

“I’m just being honest.” He snickered back to Dream and looked away from the other and down at his watch. He did need to go home and pack since he was moving soon. Disappointment settled in his stomach when he realized this meant cutting their conversation short. “Ah I am sorry Dream but I have to leave.” He gave a small pout to the other man. “Do you think I could get your snap?” He knew it was embarrassing to be 23 and using Snapchat but he rarely gave his number out, too personal. 

Dream chuckled and pulled out his phone “Snap? I feel like I’m back in high school.” 

They both exchanged user names and George went on his way back home, when he looked back one more time to the other at the end of the museum he could see Dream still looking at his art- he liked that. 

The walk back was brisk but a lot slower than the run there, it only took him about 25 minutes to make it back to his house, he let himself in and wandered into the bedroom quietly. His parents did not want him to move in fear that he couldn’t take care of himself. George needed to move though, he was going crazy living here. He was only moving to the other side of town, it was closer to the beach and George always found the beach to be more peaceful at night. 

There were boxes scattered on the floor, most of them were empty, he knew the rest of the evening would be filled with packing and it bore him. He sat down on his bed and checked his phone, no new messages. He sighed and threw it to the side and began the extraneous process of packing.

Dream-

Dream didn’t stay long at the museum after George, when he decided to leave instead of going home he visited the shops downtown. Some of them made him feel anxious due to the fact he was alone and it was busy, others were more peaceful. He wondered what types of places George might like to go. 

It was getting dark before he went home, he didn’t start work for 2 more days so he had time to get ahead in his code before he would be busy working. The second he sat at his desk he went into work mode, it was bad for him to sit at a computer for hours on end but he couldn’t help himself. 

Before he knew it the time was 5:15 a.m and he had finished more than a week's worth of code for the team he worked with on the side. He gleaned down at his achingly dry phone. 

It was a simple thought, shooting George a text, he would probably see it in the morning and wonder why Dream was up but I guess it is normal for people to be restless sometimes. So why was he feeling so nervous? It was just something people do to be friendly. If George didn’t want him texting him he wouldn’t have asked for his snap. 

Dream unlocked his phone and started typing, just a normal person sending a normal text at 5:15 a.m. 

“Hey! This is Dream, what are you doing tomorrow?” Sent. Dream immediately cringed and threw his phone to the side, was that too forward? His hands settled over his face and he threw himself back onto the mattress. It could have only been a few seconds later his phone buzzed. 

“Nothing why? Also I guess you’re a night owl too huh?” Dream chucked and replied.

“Yeah I guess you could say that, want to do something?” 

“Sure, I’m free all day and night if anytime works for you.”

“Alright all day it is :), you should sleep now it’s late.” 

“You too, sweet dreams.” 

Dream tossed his phone again, maybe making friends wasn’t as hard as he thought. Or maybe George was just different. 

Dreams mind was running every possible thing that could happen tomorrow, he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. 

George-

George was surprised when he got a text from Dream, he was honestly surprised someone texted him in general. He swiped on the message and read over the words a few times. Dream was asking him to hang out, he figured the tall man might have been annoyed with him after today but he was wrong. 

George was scared to hang out with someone but maybe Dream would be good for him to socialize with someone outside of his parents and the occasional telemarketer. 

The conversation was short but it made him feel like pressure was released off his chest, maybe it was the chance to look forward to something. He plugged his phone in and crawled under the covers. 

George didn’t sleep that night but not out of fear of his terrors, but in excitement for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deadass


	3. Under Sunshine Pylons We'll Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of Dream bad guy arc??

Dream- 

It didn’t take long before Dream began to feel anxious, a feeling he was getting quite used too. There were so many things that could go wrong and it was eating at him. It was an hour before they were supposed to meet at a small cafe downtown, one Dream picked out. 

George liked the idea of going to a cafe but neither of them knew what to label the gathering as. It could be just two people going to a cafe, yeah. Dream sat down on the edge of his bed and tapped his foot repeatedly. He was wearing a pastel blue hoodie, the same pair of black jeans and simple shoes. He was never one that was interested in fashion. 

He got up and gleaned at the mirror across his room and instantly regretted it. His hair was still going in all directions almost like he hadn’t brushed it, his cheeks were tinted red and under his eyes were pale. “Oh my god, what am I going to do.” Dream groaned and put his hands over his face. “Get it together.”.

Dream knew that he had to relax, he was scared of being awkward and making George weirded out, he didn’t want to ruin an opportunity to have a friend this fast. 

He paced around his room a few times scanning the items around him before heading to the kitchen and splashing the cold water on his face. The water was cold, it reminded him of the beach. The beach was something that always calmed him down, the ocean was a lot like him. Never resting and always seeming to be reaching for something, to the ocean it was reaching for the sand, he was reaching for something too, he just didn’t know what. 

George- 

George was thrilled, he always wanted to go to the cafe downtown with someone. George smiled and leaned back against his bed, waiting for the time to pass was the worst part of his morning. Every minute seemed to take an hour for him as he scrolled on twitter. There was nothing interesting happening there, or on instagram, nothing on Snap, nothing. 

He groaned and got up from his bed before pulling his sketchbook out from the moving box next to his bed. He didn’t know what to sketch so he simply just drew the first thing that came to mind, Dream. 

It didn’t take long for George to draw the man, it was a sketch of him smiling up at George's artwork. It gave him a new wave of pride, he really did love when people gave him praises.

“Oh shit.” George looked at the time, he had 5 minutes until he had to leave, maybe with the new money he was getting he could invest in an alarm clock. 

Dream- 

Dream leaned against the outside of the building, he was too scared to go in in case George didn’t show up. His nervousness wasn’t going away and he was scared he was going to blow it. Dream got too focused on the noises around him to notice that the one he was nervous about was standing in front of him.

“Dream? You alright?” George let out a small chuckled and softly pushed his shoulder, Dream snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him slightly shocked but smiled. “Yeah I’m good sorry” He felt the nervousness melt away, there was a comfortable energy that George gave off that made him feel welcomed. “Want to head inside?” He moved to the side where the door was and pulled it open for the other man. 

“What a gentleman Dream.” George gave him a playful look and led them to a table near the back, Dream followed and took a spot across the table. 

“Where did you find this place?” George leaned back in the seat and looked around them, the cafe was small and gave off very cottagecore vibes, he liked it. 

“I sorta came here yesterday and thought you might like it” Shit why did he say that.

George tilted his head “So I’m living rent free huh?” The tense atmosphere that Dream expected never came as instead there was a lively one, he scoffed.

“What?!” They both laughed, it wasn’t even funny but something about the way George leaned to the side when he laughed made Dream long to hear it more. George's laugh was better than any song he’s heard before. 

The laughter ended quickly as the waitress came to their table and they pulled themselves together. They both decided to split a pastry and Dream ordered himself a coffee and George got a lemonade. The waiter left and they both fell into a comfortable silence. 

Dream leaned back in his seat with his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. “Are you from here?”

“I’m from the UK but my parents moved here when I was in high school for a job, the accent stayed with me I guess, you?” George’s accent wasn’t the strongest but people could still tell that he was not originally from the U.S, it did cause a lot of mocking in High School. 

“I’ve been here my whole life, a true Floridian.” George chuckled. “Hunting alligators from age 1 huh?” 

“At 6 months I was deemed the world's youngest alligator hunter.” Dream put his hand under his chin and gave George a frisky look which made the other laugh and shake his head. “Americans I swear.” 

George-

He felt relieved, Dream was easy to talk to and it made him want to open up. Even with all of the good things he felt so far there was a little bit of him that thought Dream was going to be trouble, he suppressed that feeling as he looked at the other. He made him laugh and that’s all that mattered right now. 

They fell into silence again after the food came since both of them were more focused on the sweet in front of them. 

Dream was the first one to break the silence “Do you want to go somewhere else after this?” He had hoped Dream would ask that. “Yeah! Where were you thinking? 

He saw Dream check the clock on his phone and look up “The sun sets in about 1 hour we could go to the beach and watch it…?” Dream's voice got a little silent at the end and George felt his cheeks get a tinge hotter. “That’d be fun, want to walk since we have time?” 

Dream jumped out of the booth they were in and extended his arm toward the door “Of course, you can wait outside if you want. I'll go get the bill.” 

“Wait, I can get it.” George protested and got up but Dream was too fast. “You can get the next one.” Dream winked at him which left George a little flustered, not like he would admit it. 

He reluctantly went outside and waited for Dream, the weather was George's favorite right now. Not too hot but not cold, there was a breeze that almost never left since they were so close to the beach. He has to admit even if he missed the U.K sometimes the weather here was better. 

Dream skipped out of the cafe and to where he was standing “Ready?” 

He nodded and started walking next to Dream, the walk was quiet as both of them were enjoying the presence of another person, he could hear Dream humming quietly, it was nice. 

They walked for about 15 minutes before George could see the dock entrances for the beach, Dream turned to him. “Wanna race?” Before George could finish Dream was sprinting towards the entrance closest to them. “You cheater!” George started sprinting. 

Dream was laughing when he looked back at George, he slowed down to give him a chance, that was a mistake. George tripped in the sand and crashed into his back causing them both to fall in the sand in a fit of laughter. 

“Dream!” George was loud enough to where people down the beach looked over at them, this made him laugh harder. “Are you alright?” He sat up and wiped sand off his arms and legs.

“Yeah are you?” George followed his motions and sat up as well pouting. “I’m fine, what up with you running into me?” He tilted his head at George. “Shut up, it's your fault.” 

“Okay okay my bad, at least we got here in time.” He looked over to see the sun was just about to start setting. 

“It’s pretty.” George scooted closer to Dream. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Yeah what is it?” Dream looked to his side and then back to the ocean. 

“Do you think you have everything figured out?” He didn’t know if that question was too much but George wanted to know if Dream was like him, a mess. 

“Definitely not, I can’t even figure out simple things.” Dream spoke low but it made George comforted, he felt less alone. “I see.” 

George felt his eyes getting heavier and he leaned his head against Dream’s shoulder. Dream felt his heart start beating louder, George looked pretty like this, the sun was illuminating his face and he looked like he was at peace. Dream felt a little bit of envy towards him. He was also scared, he knew that he could get hyper fixated on things very easy. It was always fine when it was a project like coding or cleaning, but he felt himself becoming fixated on George, that was not good.

Becoming fixated on a person was like being obsessed with them and Dream never handled that well it always ended with the person hating him, maybe George could be different. 

He shook the thoughts from his head and looked back at the sand, he could let himself just enjoy this moment and worry about his emotions later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a comment it made me so happy, thank you!


	4. Still With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to give a nice little chapter, they are gonna get long from here but I got inspired today :)

George-

He was sweating, the smell of salt settled on his upper lip and he could feel pain in his arm like something was grabbing him. The pain in his arm and the pressure against his chest was enough to get him running, not looking behind him. He was running in what seemed like a wet cave, he didn’t remember how he got here, but he needed to get out. George knew that he was more flight than fight when he was terrified, it never ended well for him. There were loud footsteps catching up to him, he ran faster until he fell into a dead end. The water in the cave was dripping faster and he felt anxiety pooling in his chest and stomach causing him to heave. “Leave me alone?” His voice was scratchy and weak. The footsteps only got louder and he started to cry, he's been through this too many times he was exhausted.

He pulled his knees close to his chest and put his hands over his ears. It didn’t help, the closer it got the harder he cried, he didn’t want to look up. 

“George?” The sound cave from around the corner, he felt himself shaking.

“George?” It spoke again, louder this time?

“Why are you sitting there George?” He looked up, but wished he hadn’t, it was a creature. Taller than him with a long nail, it had a smile on its face, not one that was human. If George believed in a devil it would be standing in front of him. “Go away!” He screamed as loud as he could. It didn’t move.

“Why would I leave you alone, the fun has just begun.” He froze, it was coming for him, he curled up in helplessness, there was no one there to help him.

Not a second later he jolted awake, crying and distressed. He felt his lungs struggling to take in the air he lacked right now. There was someone next to him that startled him. “I said leave me alone!” He yelled again and pushed the person away, he hated waking up like this, hopelessly terrified.   
“George please.” George was sobbing but he knew that voice, instantly feeling bad for yelling a second ago, he peered over to the other one. His face looked worried and tired. Shit he felt bad but he still hadn’t calmed down enough to say his apologies. 

The other man took the chance to move back towards George. “Are you okay?” He placed hand on top of Georges and started rubbing small circles into them trying to calm him down. 

George rubbed his eyes with his free hand and nodded slightly. “Nightmare I guess, nothing too bad.” He let out a small chuckle trying to lessen the tension in the room. 

Dream pouted “Do you need anything, water or food?” George shook his head no quickly, “Stay here please?” He looked up at the other again, there was a clock behind him that read 5:12 a.m. “Sorry if I woke you up, where am I anyways?” It wasn’t his room, the last thing he remembered was watching the sunset. 

“You fell asleep so I brought you back here.” Dream chuckled “My house was right next to where we entered and I don’t know where you live and didn’t want to wake you up so I figured this would be okay sor-.” Dream started rambling but quickly caught himself. He did that often George started noticing. 

“Thank you.” He felt his cheeks get hot, he didn’t know if it was out of embarrassment or happiness that someone cared for him like that. Dream spoke again “Does that happen a lot?” 

George sighed “Sadly yeah, I am lucky if I get two days a week without one. Do you always stay up this late?” He leaned back and looked at Dream who was on the edge of the bed. 

“Yeah, the life of an insomnia I guess.” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and George lifted up the covers. “Wanna join me?” He smiled and the other did the same before crawling next to him. 

“You weren’t kidding when you said we’d be hanging out all day huh?” George turned his head to the ceiling, Dream copied his actions and looked at the ceiling too. Everything about this seemed unreal to George, he was grateful. 

Dream-

Dream felt conflicted, he was scrolling on twitter when he heard George yelling in his sleep. He didn’t know what to do, he tried shaking George but the other was still yelling. It was minutes of struggle before George jolted awake. It made him feel pain that George was suffering and there was nothing he could do. 

Now he was laying next to him in the bed, both of them on their backs looking at the bland ceiling, the only lighting was that of the moon shining through his window. He was trying to make conversation but the only thing he could clearly think about was how beautiful George looked even with a tear stained face and eyes swollen from crying. He was going to be the death of Dream whether he knew it or not. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Dream was still a little worried even if George seemed fine. “Yes Dream you have asked a million times...well there is one thing but you can say no if you want?” George shifted so he was on his elbows facing Dream. Dream raised his eyebrow as if asking what he wanted. “Can I lay next to you, like close?” He seemed embarrassed as he asked but it made Dream’s heart beat faster again.

“Aww does Georgie want to cuddle.” He reached his arms out to grab George and the other moved away in protest. “Nope not anymore” George crossed his arms but eventually let in when Dream pulled him back. 

“Oh come on.” Dream tried his best to make it seem like it was nothing to him, he didn’t want George to change his mind. 

They both talked for a little while more, Dream had his arms wrapped around George while the other had his arms laying on Dream's chest. Eventually Dream heard Georges responses getting shorter and quieter till he realized the other had fallen asleep again. Dream himself was starting to feel tired, he closed his eyes but before he fell asleep he felt his guilty conscience awaken. He’s felt this way before towards someone but it ended badly, he wanted George to be different. Or he wanted himself to be different with George. He hurt the other person because he didn’t trust them, but he promised that this time he would be better. George was so fragile and he could break him easily and that scared Dream. He’s lied to himself that he wasn’t scared of a lot of things and that was true, but he was scared of himself, specifically himself when he was mad. There was rage inside of him that has been growing since his everlasting lack of sleep. He just hopes that George won’t be the one to get the fallback when it all comes out. 

Dream kept thinking until eventually he felt the sudden rush of exhaustion sweep over him and he couldn’t think anymore, the sweet escape that sleeping gives you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone should listen to Still With You, it is a really pretty song.


End file.
